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Old Curiosity brings the festive spirit with colour changing Christmas Gin

Scottish craft distillery, Old Curiosity, has launched a new limited-edition Christmas Gin ahead of the festive period, perfectly capturing the essence of the season by blending classic aromatic spices, and naturally coloured with botanicals to create a fitting rosy red colour.

The Secret Garden Christmas Gin (50cl, 39% ABV) is distilled with botanicals grown in the distillery’s Secret Herb Garden on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom are distilled to create a distinctly festive flavour, while hollyhock petals give the liquid a natural festive red colouring.

The Secret Garden Christmas Gin comes in three sizes to suit a range of gift ideas. Starting from a perfect stocking filler size of 5cl (£5.95), 20cl (14.95) to 50cl (£35.95), ideal for a gin lover’s present. The range also includes a festive gift set of a 20cl bottle of Christmas Gin paired with the distillery’s renowned Wild Gin (20cl, 40% ABV), priced at £29.95.

To create the perfect festive serve

Fill a Tall glass with ice
Add 50ml Christmas Gin
Top up with low sugar tonic
Garnish with Orange

Once the tonic is poured into the glass, the bright red Christmas Gin turns to a striking fluorescent pink.

Hamish Martin, Director at the Old Curiosity Distillery, commented: “We really wanted to explore a new range of festive flavours using traditional seasonal ingredients to make our Christmas Gin.

“We drew influence from medieval Christmas feasts by distilling the gin with cinnamon and aromatic cardamom, while the ginger gives the spirit an extra kick for warmth!

“We’ve proud to say that our Christmas Gin contains no preservatives, sugars, colourings or flavourings, only truly natural ingredients from our very own Secret Herb Garden in Midlothian. We hope gin lovers enjoy our festive tipple this Christmas.”

The botanicals used in the Christmas Gin carefully grown at The Secret Herb Garden on the outskirts of Edinburgh. The Secret Garden is an award-winning herb nursery with over 600 naturally grown and tended varieties of herbs and flowers which are picked, dried and distilled by hand to deliver the pure essence of nature.

It is most renowned for the highly acclaimed and multi award-winning collection of premium, 100% natural, Secret Garden Gins which are stocked by some of the UK’s most prestigious retailers and now exported to 11 countries around the globe. The distillery also produces ranges of teas, soaps and hand sanitisers.

The Secret Garden Christmas Gin is available now online at theoldcuriosity.co.uk.

To find out more about the Old Curiosity distillery and The Secret Garden Gins please visit www.theoldcuriosity.co.uk.

Heart of Newhaven: Now what?

NOW WHAT?

Both words are important in answering that question.

This 20 day Update is always about where we are now. It is not about where we hope to be one day when the keys are delivered and, like any prospective purchaser, we move in to see what state the previous owner has left us to clear up before we can move our own things in.

Don’t worry: that is not being neglected, but it would be boring to describe all the steps that are being taken to get us to that point. You can safely leave the tedious things to the SCIO board, who will make sure all the necessary tasks are done in the right way.
There are much more exciting things to share now, not least because we know that moving-in day could be around a year away.

So what? What about now? What can you be expected to do other than to wait patiently? Is there a child in your house – or can you imagine a child after being cooped up with nothing to do – saying, “I’m bored! I don’t know what to do.” Well be bored no longer: There is something to do. It really will make a difference to the future and it will make it better.

There are two things that fit together:
What troubles you as you cope with Covid 19?
What ideas do you have that are worth sharing in order to help others cope?

As simple as that. Here is how we propose to match the need with the thought. It’s about sharing, which is the hallmark of community.

This Community, as you know by now, has a HEART. ❤️

Not merely a lot of boxes called houses or flats, in which we all keep ourselves to ourselves and suffer in silence.

We are about to launch an interactive programme of questions and suggestions, ideas and activities, encouraging you to become involved NOW with other people like you, helping each other create a better normal around our three themes you may know by heart:

Well-Being
Learning & Enterprise
Culture & Heritage

Health Business Leisure Sport Puzzles Gardening Entertainment Advice

You can add to the list which is as long as you want to make it, because above all it is about YOU – which is US, ALL TOGETHER, helping each other.

Invite your friends to join in as well. Look out for details about to appear on our website and social media channels.

And don’t forget: if you have not already responded to the invitation to become a member of our Charity ***Heart of Newhaven Community SCIO*** making all this possible, do that **NOW** too, using the link here and following instructions.

Also keep checking the website and socials!
In another 20 days we’ll tell you more precisely what we are going to do next.

**Rodney Matthews**
Chair and Vision Facilitator
The Heart of Newhaven Community

Be sure to sign up to our newsletters at www.heartofnewhaven.co.uk

There’s so many ways you can get involved with the project and we’d love to have as many of you on board as possible!

Morrisons to donate 15,000 lunchboxes daily to help schoolchildren in need

– Move aims to help fight holiday hunger this half-term –

– Customers can also purchase pre-packed bags of groceries to feed young people –

Morrisons stores will join the national effort to ensure no school child in need goes without an adequate meal this half term.

Morrisons colleagues in 498 stores will prepare 30 lunch boxes in each of their stores this half-term. That’s 14,940 lunches daily with packaging donated by distribution company Bunzl.

The lunchboxes will be distributed daily by each store to local food banks and schools so they can get them to school children in need. The lunch box includes a freshly made sandwich, a piece of fruit and a Soreen snack pack.

Morrisons is also to offer customers the option to support the effort by buying their own ‘Pick Up Packs’, which will also be distributed to young people.

The packs’ cost between £1 and £5 and contain a nutritionally balanced mix of food products that have been requested by the local food banks and schools according to their needs. The pre-packed parcels are available at the front of all Morrisons stores and are paid for at the checkout. The pack is then put aside for delivery to those in need.

Rebecca Singleton, Customer and Community Director at Morrisons, said: “We want to do our bit to ensure that as many school children as possible can eat good, nutritious food while they are out of school.

“We will be delighted if customers are also able to donate food in our stores to help fight holiday hunger.”

Local Morrisons stores on Ferry Road and Granton Waterfront are already providing great support through contributions to the North Edinburgh COVID-19 Foodshare Group.

For more information visit www.morrisons.co.uk

North Edinburgh’s Covid group produce October newsletter

North Edinburgh’s COVID-19 Food Share Group has produced a third newsletter.

Volunteers will commence doorstep deliveries this week. If you can’t wait to see the latest issue, see below!

Newsletter-3-Final-Download

Drive-in Movies’ Designated Drivers get a free Heineken 0.0% beer

Heineken, one of the world’s most popular beer brands, teams up with Edinburgh International Film Festival and Unique Events, organisers of Drive-in Movies at the Edinburgh Airport, to offer a free non-alcoholic Heineken beer to all Designated Drivers enjoying a screening of a 15+ rated film as part of this month’s Halloween-themed Drive-in Movies.

The Halloween edition of Drive-in Movies takes place between 29 October and 1 November and features a frightfully exquisite selection of titles such as The Lost Boys, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Scream and Donnie Darko, among others.

The screening of horror classic Halloween is already sold-out and with limited tickets available for all other screenings, organisers are advising to book fast to avoid disappointment.

With the pre-screening entertainment including karaoke, quizzes with spot prizes and best costume competition – all hosted by Edinburgh DJ Stuart Calverto who transforms into Count Calverto for the night – Drive-in Movies offers safe and fun Halloween entertainment all from the warmth and comfort of your own car.

To browse the full line-up and book tickets visit www.edinburghdrivein.co.uk/

Celebrating 10 years of coming together to support the corncrake

This year, Skye crofters, farmers, the RSPB and SAC Consulting, part of Scotland’s Rural College, will celebrate 10 years of a collaborative partnership to help secure a future for the island’s corncrake population, which has been on the red endangered list since 1990 with a recorded population of 872 in 2019.

The corncrake is a small, migratory bird that spends its winters in Central and Western Africa and its summers in Northern Europe, but since 1950 the rate of decline in Scotland has accelerated, coinciding with a period when the majority of hay fields were changed to silage production.

By formalising the partnership in 2009 between SAC Consulting, RSPB, NFU Scotland, the Scottish Crofting Federation, and local farmers and crofters, it provided greater support for land managers to access agri-environment schemes and to improve the island’s corncrake population on a landscape scale.

Janette Sutherland, Agricultural Consultant with SAC Consulting who facilitates the partnership, said: “The support to crofters and farmers through agri-environment schemes over the past 25 years has been key to the survival of the UK corncrake population and it is critical that we maintain and build on this hard work. With an uncertain future ahead, it is vital that these different groups continue to integrate.

“A real highlight of the partnership so far has been the positive conversations between the conservationists and all of the island’s active crofters and farmers, and how they can work together. To protect corncrakes, we need crofters and farmers to implement the measures on the ground, and part of SAC Consulting’s role is to highlight what practical methods and management techniques they can employ to benefit the species.”

As corncrakes make their way south to Africa for the winter, there are still concerns, despite the efforts from all parties, about the declining population.

“The corncrake population in Skye is instrumental in expanding its geographical range to mainland areas such as Lochalsh and Glenelg,” said Janette.

“Unfortunately, the number of corncrakes is dropping across the board and although researchers are exploring some theories, it is unclear what is driving the losses. With such a small population, working in partnership is all vitally important to their future survival.”

Currently there are 140-hectares under management on the Isle of Skye as part of the Scottish Government’s Agri Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) which provided funding to crofters and farmers to manage their silage and grazed fields differently to support corncrakes.

“There are practical methods that can be used on ‘high nature value’ landscapes to benefit the species, such as delayed mowing, corncrake friendly mowing and leaving uncut areas of grassland on field margins to provide cover for birds; curtailing grazing to preserve areas of tall vegetation in spring and summer, allowing birds to nest and raise broods; and, establishing clumps of tall plants such as iris, nettles, meadowsweet, cow parsley or hogweed,” commented Janette.

Shelagh Parlane, RSPB corncrake officer, said: “The corncrake is notoriously shy and likes tall vegetation. That’s why we encourage crofters and farmers to create areas of early growing vegetation, so the birds have somewhere to hide when they come back to the islands in early spring.

“The environment, nature, and local agricultural businesses are interdependent; successful and thriving agricultural systems can provide and support a rich diversity of species which is to the benefit of all of us. Corncrakes rely on crofting and farming and, with a small number of adjustments that can be compensated for through agri-environment schemes, it is possible for both to thrive.

“We look forward to the partnership playing a role in the Corncrake Calling Project, which has been funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, over the next few years.”

Local lockdowns and remote working stifling potential high street jobs recovery

New research reveals job vacancies remain depressed in all UK cities and large towns
Aberdeen saw the biggest fall in job vacancies, followed by Edinburgh and Belfast
Covid restrictions and rise in remote work dragging down jobs recovery in cities across the country

Deserted high streets and city centres are hampering Britain’s jobs recovery with urban areas in Scotland and south England bearing the steepest declines in vacancies.

New research by the Centre for Cities think tank and global job site Indeed found that seven months after the nationwide lockdown was imposed, job vacancies have failed to return to pre-Covid levels in all 63 towns and cities they analysed.

Aberdeen recorded the steepest fall with a -75% year-on-year decline followed by Edinburgh (-57%), Belfast and the West Sussex town, Crawley (both -55%). London has seen the sixth biggest fall in job postings (-52%).

Chatham (-7%), Stoke (-17%) and Burnley (-18%) saw the shallowest declines while overall UK vacancies are -46% behind last year’s level.

Where has seen the biggest falls in job vacancies?
Cities and large towns with the LARGEST drop in job vacancies	Cities and large towns with the SMALLEST drop in job vacancies
Rank	Place	Fall in job postings since 2019 (%)	Rank	Place	Fall in job postings since 2019 (%)
1	Aberdeen	-75%	1	Chatham	-7%
2	Edinburgh	-57%	2	Stoke	-17%
3	Belfast	-55%	3	Burnley	-18%
4	Crawley	-55%	4	Birkenhead	-20%
5	Aldershot	-54%	5	Mansfield	-21%
6	London	-52%	6	Ipswich	-22%
7	Reading	-52%	7	Peterborough	-23%
8	Worthing	-51%	8	Middlesbrough	-26%
9	Luton	-50%	9	Plymouth	-26%
10	York	-49%	10	Derby	-27%

The stuttering jobs recovery is closely linked to the collapse in local service jobs. These are roles that involve selling directly to local consumers, including sectors like food, retail, arts and leisure, which are exposed to Covid-related restrictions.

The rise in people working from home has dried up demand for local services in big cities, with London, Manchester and Edinburgh – cities where remote work has been most feasible during the pandemic – among the places with the slowest recovery in job postings in local services businesses compared with last year.

In London 10.7% of job postings mention ‘remote work’ and in large cities with a population of over 600,000 the rate is 9.7%.

While no place or sector has escaped the labour market crisis, those where high street footfall returned to normal more quickly – Birkenhead, Chatham and Hull – have seen a faster recovery in posted job vacancies. Public sector jobs have also been relatively sheltered from the crisis compared to private sector ones.

Andrew Carter, Centre for Cities’ Chief Executive, said: “While unemployment continues to rise, the number of jobs available to people who find themselves out of work is far below its level last year in every single large city and town in the UK. This could have potentially catastrophic long-term consequences for people and the economy.

“The Government has told us to expect a tough winter and, while local lockdowns are necessary to protect lives, it is vital that ministers continue to listen and reassess the level of support given to help people and places to cope with the months ahead.

“The Chancellor made welcome amendments to the JSS which should help save jobs, but many places across the country didn’t have enough jobs before the pandemic hit so creating more will be vital to prevent long-term economic damage to their local economies.”

Pawel Adrjan, EMEA head of research at the global job site Indeed, said: “The timid recovery in job vacancies is a portent of the distress towns and cities could face if restrictions continue to spring up in parts of the country already reeling from imposed lockdowns and reduced footfall.

“With the remote work trend showing no sign of abating – and entire regions being placed under stricter control – service jobs in large towns and cities could become scarcer still and pull the UK into a jobs spiral. That could mean a very long winter ahead for the millions of people currently unemployed.”

An end to ‘traumatic’ disability assessments

New approach will ensure dignity, fairness and respect

There will be no DWP- style assessments to access disability assistance under the new Scottish social security system, says Social Security Minister Shirley-Anne Somerville.

Decisions will be made using information gathered through the applications process including from health care providers

Should more detail be required to make decisions on an application for the new Adult Disability Payment, it will be gathered through a consultation which will be based on a conversation between a healthcare professional employed by the Scottish Government and the client. There will be no private sector involvement in this process.

Most consultations will be by phone but can be face to face in a GP practice or even at home, whatever works best for the person applying. No-one will be asked to carry out tasks in order to prove the impact of their disability or health condition.

Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People, Shirley-Anne Somerville, said: “Two of our principles enshrined in law is that social security is a public service and an investment in people – it is there for all of us when and where we need it. So no one should ever experience stress when accessing the support they are entitled to.

“People who require disability assistance will already face a number of challenges and interacting with a benefit system shouldn’t become another one. That is why I am pleased to set out plans for Scotland’s new system – plans that will make sure that people are treated with dignity, fairness and respect.

“We want people to feel that they have been treated well and fairly at every stage – from having an application form that is clear and easy to use right through to how we make sure someone is still able to access money when they want to appeal our decisions.

“Getting rid of degrading assessments that our Experience Panels told us were ‘traumatic and intrusive’ is the right thing to do. It is an obvious change but one that will make a massive difference to people.

“I’d like to thank the people who have worked with us to design this service – the volunteers on our Experience Panels and stakeholders. Together we will deliver a markedly different benefit system and create a public service that we can all be truly proud of.”

This has been confirmed in a series of papers that outline the future of disability benefits in Scotland. These detail what people should expect from application right through to appeals.

Police launch national campaign to protect road users from uninsured drivers

Roads policing units are launching Op Drive Insured from today (26 October) to 1 November, which will see enhanced enforcement activity to reduce the level of uninsured vehicles on UK roads.
Uninsured and untraced drivers cause nearly one in every five road traffic collisions and push up insurance costs for law-abiding motorists.
MIB (Motor Insurers’ Bureau) which compensates victims of uninsured drivers has seen claims fall 26% since 2016, however there are concerns the economic impact of Covid-19 could cause more people to risk driving without insurance.
Every four minutes in the UK an uninsured vehicle is seized.

From today until 1st November, all of the UK’s 43 police forces are set to engage in a national effort to help reduce uninsured driving levels.

‘Operation Drive Insured’ – a week-long campaign developed by MIB (Motor Insurers’ Bureau) in partnership with the National Roads Policing Operations, Intelligence and Investigation (NRPOII) committee – will see increased roads policing activity to detect and seize uninsured vehicles across regions.

Each year in the UK over 130 people are killed and 26,000 are left injured in collisions caused by uninsured and untraced drivers, linking to nearly one in every five road traffic collisions.

Evidence also shows drivers without insurance are more likely to commit a ‘hit and run’ and be involved in other crimes, be it using a stolen vehicle, driving while disqualified or substance abuse.

MIB, which is funded by insurers and ultimately consumers to provide financial support to victims of uninsured and untraced collisions, paid out £322 million in compensation in 2019.

Whilst figures from the Department for Transport indicate these collisions cost the economy a further £2 billion a year in emergency services, medical care, loss of productivity and property damage.

The number of claims for compensation from victims of uninsured drivers have fallen 26% since 2016. However, with so many people suffering financial hardship due to the disruption of Covid-19, there are growing concerns that this could result in more people breaking the law and driving without insurance.

Anna Fleming, Chief Operating Officer at MIB, said: “We’ve made great strides in getting more people to drive insured in recent years, but the sad reality is with Covid-19 putting so many people under financial strain, uninsured driving levels could creep up.

“Everyone suffers the consequences of uninsured driving. We’re fully committed to our partnership with the police so we can get as many people as possible to drive insured to make roads safer and fairer for everyone.”

Commander Kyle Gordon, Head of NRPOII, said: “Many people will see uninsured driving as a victimless crime at best, or as only impacting on the profits of large insurance companies at worst. This is not the case.

“We know from our work in roads policing that uninsured drivers are statistically significantly more likely to cause a death or injury on the road, which too often sadly brings devastation to victims, families and communities up and down the country. They are also frequently involved in wider road crime.

“Protecting the public and keeping our roads safe for everyone is our priority and removing uninsured drivers from our roads helps to do just that. This is why all police forces are acting to take uninsured drivers off the road every single day.”

Last year 137,410 vehicles were seized for no insurance which equated to one seizure every four minutes.

Police can access the Motor Insurance Database (MID) which is a central record of all live motor insurance policies, to quickly spot if a vehicle appears to be uninsured. If disputed by the driver, MIB can quickly liaise with insurers to confirm if valid insurance exists.

Drivers without insurance face their vehicle being seized and potentially crushed, along with a £300 fixed penalty notice and six licence points.

They can also be referred to court and face an unlimited fine and a driving ban. Uninsured convictions also show on basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks which can impact employment prospects.

To check if a vehicle is showing as insured on the MID, drivers can look for free at www.askmid.com.

Tips on finding more affordable car insurance

There are several things drivers can do to help find more affordable car insurance deals. According to the Association of British Insurers (ABI), this includes:

Choosing a less powerful vehicle.
Getting a ‘black box’ or ‘telematics’ to help demonstrate how safe the driver is.
Driving more safely to avoid collisions, prevent penalty points and protect a ‘No Claims Discount’ (NCD).
Using price comparison sites or a BIBA-registered Broker to find a good deal.
Limiting the car’s use and reducing annual mileage.
Protecting a car from theft such as by using an alarm or immobiliser and keeping it in a garage.
Paying an insurance premium up-front.
Considering a higher excess (the cost paid in excess of what an insurer pays if a claim is made).
Complying with legal requirements by being honest to an insurer about changes to the use and condition of a vehicle.

Precious little moments keep Edinburgh smiling in today’s tough times

Sunday roast voted our favourite pleasurable pastime during pandemic
A compliment makes us smile more than gifts or flowers
We’re still smiling despite wearing face masks – and using our eyes to help us

IT’S the simple things in life that are keeping us smiling across Scotland in increasingly challenging times, according to new research by Specsavers, with the sound of the doorbell indicating a takeaway or other delivery most likely to bring a smile to our faces.

The Specsavers Smile Study has revealed that spending time with loved ones makes 92 per cent of us in Edinburgh smile more than anything else and getting together for a traditional family Sunday roast was cited as our favourite thing to do throughout the pandemic.

The study also revealed that receiving a smile – or a smize[3] – from someone else is what makes people smile most at the moment[4]. And despite face masks currently concealing our smiles, 55 per cent of us in Scotland still smile when wearing one, with almost half of respondents admitting that they are now expressing themselves more using their eyes because people can’t see their mouths.

Dr Carlos Crivelli, a leading psychologist and expert in the science of smiling at De Montfort University in Leicester, has reviewed the survey findings: ‘When you limit the opportunities to interact with others by imposing lockdowns and physical distancing restrictions, you can see the impact that it has on the usual tools that we use to interact.

‘As part of this social interaction toolkit, smiles play an important role. Despite not being able to use smiles due to face masks, a positive outtake from these findings is that most people across the UK (80%) reported that they can rely on the upper part of the face to interact with others.

‘The science of facial behaviour – why we smile and how we use smiles in social interaction – is fascinating. For example, we smile to bond or affiliate, when we would like to reward others, to reciprocate, or to keep the interaction going,’ explains Dr Crivelli.

‘Specsavers’ Smile Study found that respondents from Edinburgh perceive people smiling to be more cooperative (81%), friendlier (85%) and more attractive (74%), and our confidence increases when people smile at us (73%).’

While smiling is infectious, other small acts of kindness go a long way. The research revealed money and time are not essential to make someone smile – we are more likely to offer compliments or praise (43%), rather than giving flowers (7%) or gifts (14%). A quarter of us also admit that the most recent thing we have done to make someone else smile is to tell them that we love them.

When it comes to cheering ourselves up, in the absence of visiting friends or going to the pub, the top answers were calling friends or family, listening to music or watching a comedy show.

Encouraging us to keep on smiling as times look set to become even tougher are father and son, Martin and Roman Kemp, known for cheering up the nation on their new Sunday Best TV show.

Former Spandau Ballet musician and actor, Martin, says: ‘Staying in touch and speaking with people who make you smile helps you focus on your happiness and theirs and we all need that right now.

‘A smile is infectious and even though we’re all mostly hidden by masks at the moment, you get a rush from smiling that helps boost your spirits. And you can still see a smile in the eyes. They aren’t called the windows of the soul for nothing – they can reveal your feelings, your individuality and your personality.’

Reflecting the survey findings, Martin says there are certain things that are sure to bring a smile to his face: ‘There’s so much that makes me smile – good news especially when there’s so much bad news around, seeing other people smile and laugh – and the smell of good food!’

DJ and TV presenter, Roman, says: ‘For me, it’s watching Arsenal win and that’ll always put a big smile on my face! And I’m so lucky to do a job that means I have get to make people smile every morning. You can tell when someone is smiling when they call in, you really can hear it in their voice.

‘Working with my dad is a blessing too. We have the same sense of humour and laugh at the same silly things, so being able to spend so much time together over the last few challenging months has been great.’

Martin agrees: ‘Yeah, Roman makes me smile and laugh all the time – sometimes for the wrong reasons!

The survey was commissioned as part of Specsavers new Something to Smile About multi-channel campaign, which focuses on real people smiling with their eyes to the soundtrack of Michael Bublé singing When You’re Smiling, to celebrate the positivity and joy that a simple smile can bring when times are difficult.

For more information visit specsavers.co.uk.